On Monday night, the Oswego Common Council voted down a proposal to have a public hearing for winter parking laws in the city of Oswego by a vote of 3 to 4. This decision means the overnight parking ban will remain in effect with councilors administering permits, according to Mayor William Barlow.

The new permit stipulation allows one additional permit for properties with one-car driveways and two permits for properties that may not have parking, according to First Ward Councilor Caitlin Reynolds.

Although most people and councilors alike in Oswego have differing opinions on winter parking laws, Barlow is asking for consistency from his common council.

“I just wanted a policy put in place that we can follow for the next few years,” Barlow said.

One student-rented property had 10 residents with seven cars and a three-car driveway. Although code enforcement may not see this amount of occupants as acceptable, it is still an issue for college students living off campus.

For some students, fitting all of the vehicles in a small driveway is not the only issue.

“The sidewalks and driveways on certain streets make it tough for low-riding cars to pull in, but specifically for me and my friends that come over,” said Oswego State student Michael Civisca.

The council’s parking discussion on Monday night focused mainly on residents of the city of Oswego who own properties. The winter parking permits can only be issued to property owners and cannot be transferred to anyone, including the occupant of a rental property.

Oswego State student Dana McLaughlin lives with three other students in a rental property on West Eighth Street where the property has space for two cars in the driveway, despite there being three cars among four people.

“Our landlord allowed us to even park on our front lawn, which worked for a while, but then the cops started to ticket us a bit, which can become costly,” McLaughlin said.

Green space parking permits, which allow parking on a lawn, can be obtained for free by anyone, not just property owners. The permits can be applied for at the Oswego police department. The permits do need to be signed by the councilor of that specific ward.

The downtown area that students frequent sees similar issues with snow removal. There is a public parking lot next to the Old City Hall bar and restaurant, but Old City Hall employee Stephanie Sherman said it is like “pulling teeth” to get the city to plow the parking lot. The Oswego Department of Public Works was unavailable for comment at this time. 

“I feel bad for people in the city who are coming down and trying to use a city parking lot,” Sherman said.

Workers in the downtown area also showed concern over having to walk long distances when they get out of work in the early hours of the morning.

“Some people have to get out of work in the morning and have to walk blocks and blocks to get home, and I just think it’s very unsafe,” said Melissa White, an employee at Cam’s Pizzeria. “I think they should do alternate-side parking because not everyone has an alternative place to park their car.”

Councilor Reynolds echoed the concerns for safety in Monday’s discussion of putting the parking policy up for a public hearing.

Third Ward Councilor Nathan Emmons was the most outspoken against the public hearing. He said that if there were to be a hearing, the city should just change the law back to alternate- side parking.

“I think we should avoid the cost of a public hearing,” Emmons said.

Many students living off campus are in search of places to park and would like to see more accommodations made by the city.

“More effective and more options for plowing if it is doable would be better, along with more public parking,” said Oswego State student Ryan Giancola.

Sondra Nelson, a town of Oswego resident and employee of Canale’s Restaurant, said she supports the overnight parking ban because of how her mother, who lives on West Eighth Street, was affected by the alternate-side parking laws.

“When they did the alternate-side parking, it was a disaster,” Nelson said. “There were days that you couldn’t get down her street.”

Nelson said that the ban does not affect Canale’s Restaurant directly because they are able to provide an ample amount of parking.

The ban will remain in place for the 2017-2018 winter, but Barlow said moving past this year, it seems that the debate will continue.

“It was a long debate before any of us got in office, and it will be debated for years after this,” Barlow said.

For students on campus using overnight parking lots, when plowing is needed, signs will be posted throughout campus and emails will be sent telling students when they need to move their cars.

Associate vice president for facilities services Mitch Fields said that his staff is prepared for harsh Oswego winters. He also said extra help can be brought in if needed.

By reaching out to students and keeping them informed, Fields said that his staff does not have much difficulty in clearing the parking lots on campus.

Photo: Greg Tavani | The Oswegonian